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Multiple-Meaning Words

A multiple-meaning word is spelled and said the same way but means different things: a bat flies at night, and you hit a ball with a bat. Context is the only clue, which is why these words are such good reading practice.

Here are 124 multiple-meaning words from past ClueBy puzzles, each with a real example sentence for every meaning. Use them as a reference, or make a printable worksheet below.

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Students read each sentence and write the missing word. Every word appears in several sentences, each time with a different meaning.

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Word bank
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Multiple-Meaning Words

Name: ____________________Date: __________

Write the missing word from the word bank in each sentence. Each word is used more than once, with a different meaning each time.

Word bank: date · bark · bound · bowl · bear · spring · prune · chest

  1. The sergeant loved to ________________ orders at us.
  2. That was ________________ to happen.
  3. I felt an uncomfortable tightness in my ________________.
  4. Our dog starts to ________________ whenever the doorbell rings.
  5. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  6. A ________________ is just a dried plum.
  7. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  8. A ________________ is a sweet brown fruit from a palm tree.
  9. Why do cosmetics have an expiration ________________?
  10. I cannot ________________ this tree. It's too high.
  11. She laid her head on my ________________ so she could listen to my heartbeat.
  12. A black ________________ roamed the forest.
  13. Birch trees have smooth white ________________.
  14. The lid of the ________________ creaked open.
  15. The little girl was crying for the teddy ________________.
  16. We are ________________ to obey laws.
  17. Have you settled on a ________________?
  18. Many happy returns to all who ________________ the name of a flower!
  19. It's your turn to ________________ the ball down the lane.
  20. Millions watch the Super ________________ every February.
  21. Do not ________________ roses in the fall.
  22. Place the flour, butter and salt into a large clean ________________.
  23. He reached out and took down a small leather ________________ book.
  24. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.

Sentences from ClueBy, Tatoeba (CC BY 2.0 FR) and Common Voice (CC0). clueby.com

Answer key

  1. bark — to shout
  2. bound — certain
  3. chest — of your body
  4. bark — a dog's sound
  5. spring — a coil
  6. prune — the fruit
  7. spring — the season
  8. date — the fruit
  9. date — on the calendar
  10. prune — to trim
  11. chest — of your body
  12. bear — the animal
  13. bark — of a tree
  14. chest — a box
  15. bear — the animal
  16. bound — obliged
  17. date — on the calendar
  18. bear — to put up with
  19. bowl — to roll
  20. bowl — a football final
  21. prune — to trim
  22. bowl — a dish
  23. bound — tied together
  24. spring — of water

Multiple-meaning words list

Tick up to 10 words to build a worksheet with just those words.

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Frequently asked questions

What are multiple-meaning words?

Words with the same spelling and pronunciation but more than one meaning, like bark (of a dog or of a tree) or bank (for money or of a river). You can only tell which meaning is meant from the rest of the sentence.

Are multiple-meaning words the same as homonyms?

Mostly, yes. Teachers often use "multiple-meaning words" and "homonyms" for the same idea. Homophones are different: they sound alike but are spelled differently, like flour and flower.

Are the worksheets free?

Yes. Make and print as many as you like for home or classroom use. Each sheet has its own link, so you can print the same one again.

Where do the words come from?

From past ClueBy puzzles, a daily game where you sort twelve sentences by their missing word. A new puzzle every day adds four more words to this list.

Sentences from ClueBy, Tatoeba (CC BY 2.0 FR) and Common Voice (CC0). clueby.com